Love's Fool
by LozieDeanon
Summary: Barnaby is an employee at at florist shop, and he's caught Kotetsu's eye, making the old man wonder: "Is it okay to give flowers to a florist?" AU, Kotetsu/Barnaby fluff, deanon from the Tiger and Bunny anon meme.


A fill from the Tiger and Bunny Anon Meme. Prompt: _Kotetsu doesn't know what to buy instead of flowers for Barnaby, a florist, to sweep him off his feet._

* * *

><p>"Is it okay to give flowers to a florist?"<p>

Antonio looked over at Kotetsu. "What do you mean?"

"A florist works with flowers all day, so they obviously like them… but is it okay to give them flowers? Is it rude or lazy, assuming that they love their job that much? Maybe they're around flowers so much they can't stand people giving them flowers."

"I never thought about it."

The two sat in silence for a second, before Kotetsu continued, "And what if you order the bouquet at their flower shop? They make the bouquet with their own hands, and then take it home. I guess it's free for them, but they're doing all the work for you to give them a gift. Maybe you could make a blank-check order, let them invent the bouquet they've always wanted? But they have to _really_ love flowers. There's no way to tell if a florist likes or hates flowers while on the job…"

Antonio sighed. "Kotetsu, why is this so important? You're talking in circles."

"Um… you know the florists' near Demeter Park?"

"Yeah."

"They've got this new employee. I met him when I went to get flowers for Kaede's skating recital."

Antonio nodded, making a mental note of the 'him.' The bisexual Kotetsu leaned toward men more and more since Tomoe passed on, and these little crushes weren't unprecedented. "What about him?"

"He's… I don't even want to call him cute, he's so much more than that. He's got this really soft-looking hair, and his skin is so smooth…" Kotetsu trailed off a bit, before clearing his throat. "But he's not girly, not like Nathan! He's pretty and handsome at the same time."

"Uh-huh."

"I just kept finding reasons to buy flowers and see him. I got tulips for Mother's Day, irises for a co-worker's birthday, an orchid for my landlady… when I ran out of excuses, I just bought a vase of sunflowers and took them home. I still have the vase."

"What's this guy's name? Because if you don't even know his name, you're a creepy old man."

"Barnaby."

"You read his name tag."

"They don't use name tags at this place. We introduced ourselves."

"Good for you. So now what?"

Kotetsu fidgeted with his hat, bending the edges inside-out and back again. "I—I want to ask him out. Take him out to dinner, go for a walk in the park, and, y'know… give him flowers."

Antonio sighed again, shaking his head. When Kotetsu talked about corny romantic stuff like dinners, parks, and flowers, it usually meant he was serious and not just chasing tail. "Do you know if he's gay?"

"That's the thing. I kind of want to start with flowers so I can test the waters. If he turns them down, then he's straight. But if he takes them, then he might not be. But is it okay for me to give flowers to a guy that works for a florist?"

"Flowers mean you like someone, and you like him."

"But does _he_ like _flowers_?" Kotetsu pressed the point. "If I ask him out for coffee, that could get misinterpreted, and he'll think I just want to hang out."

"I think going out for coffee is a date."

"But does Barnaby think that?" Kotetsu's fingers dug into his poor hat, wringing it into a cord and twisting it every which way. "Should I start with chocolates? You're really only supposed to give chocolates around Valentine's Day, and that's a ways off. Or I could ask him to go on that walk, but that's a little risky for a first date. Harder to break the ice. And if I take him out to dinner, I want to go somewhere really nice, but that's too much for a first date. Flowers are really my best bet, but if I order them from his shop, he'll have to make his own gift, and that doesn't seem right. But if I order flowers from another shop and then bring them to him at work, where will he put them? What if they get sold to another customer? And does that mean I'm insulting his workmanship by buying flowers from someone else? And even if he wanted flowers, which ones do I get him? Roses are for love, everyone knows that, but what if it seems like I'm coming on too strong? I've never been good with flower meanings, just that they're—Huh?"

Kotetsu stopped when a shadow fell over him. Antonio had stood and crossed to Kotetsu, and half a second later Antonio's fist collided with Kotetsu's jaw, knocking the bearded man out of his seat and to the floor.

"What the hell was that for!" Kotetsu scrambled to his feet and swung a retaliatory punch, which Antonio caught in his hand. "I was _talking_!"

"I did it to shut you up, you idiot!" Antonio growled. "You're being way too girly! If you like him, ask him out!" Antonio pulled back his free hand into another fist, but Kotetsu caught that one in return, forcing the two men into a lock.

"I _like_ flowers! And you put your pride aside when you like someone!"

"It's not about flowers! Flowers are fine! It's the way you're sitting and _worrying_ that pisses me off!"

Antonio suddenly stepped back, and all Kotetsu's pent-up forward pressure sent him flying face-first to the floor for the second time in a span of a minute.

"Do you know when this Barnaby guy is at work?"

"Uhg… He'd be there now…" Kotetsu mumbled, peeling his face off the floor.

"Go. Tell him. Screw the flowers, you can buy him flowers every day _after._ But stop being a useless moron and go do something!"

Kotetsu bolted out the door, no doubt to the Demeter Park florist, and Antonio massaged his knuckles, sore after connecting with Kotetsu's hard head. What his best friend would do without him, Antonio didn't know.

* * *

><p>Kotetsu arrived at the shop just as Barnaby finished tying off a cluster of Gerbera daisies; large, bright flowers in pink, yellow, and white. The blonde looked up when the bell rang, though he probably would have heard Kotetsu trip over the threshold, anyway.<p>

"Nice to see you again, Kotetsu," Barnaby said. "What can I get for you today?"

"Um, I'm not sure yet," Kotetsu admitted, regaining his balance and approaching the counter, grateful Barnaby hadn't commented on his less-than-graceful entrance. "I came to—to—uh, to—"

"Kotetsu, your cheek looks red," Barnaby interrupted him. "Is that a bruise?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Kotetsu touched his face gingerly. "I got in a fight with a friend. It's nothing to worry about, he just had to knock some sense into me."

"Was it a fair fight?"

"No, he surprised me, but I was rambling about something stupid."

"Need me to help you get back at him?"

"You'd do that?"

"I won't let anyone rough up my new best customer."

Kotetsu laughed, and Barnaby cracked a small half-smile, but once the mirth faded, Kotetsu still didn't know what to say. _Tell him_, Antonio had ordered, but that opened up a whole world of possibilities that Kotetsu had no clue how to navigate. He could tell Barnaby about his daydreams of taking him to the top of the Justice Tower, higher than the light pollution, and watching the stars rise and set. He could tell him how he spent ages 'window shopping' before buying just so he could watch Barnaby assemble another bouquet, his nimble fingers crafting something magnificent out of beautiful but chaotic blossoms. He could tell him that he'd never met anyone like him before, elegant while practical, flighty yet grounded, aloof but kind. He could tell him how his heart sings and his knees soften and his fingers tremble when Barnaby flashes that smile of his. But is any of that right? All these happy feelings, jittery and troublesome as they were, would they vanish if Kotetsu told Barnaby about them?

"So? What are you looking for today?"

"I—I, um, I'm…" Kotetsu stammered. "I'm…"

"You're?"

"I want some flowers… and, uh, they're for someone I like."

"Roses are your best bet, then. Color, size, stems?"

"I don't know," Kotetsu scratched behind his head and leaned against the counter, looking anywhere but at Barnaby. "If, say, someone were to give, I dunno, give flowers to—to you… what kind would you want? Just as an example!"

"To me?" Barnaby repeated, leaning against the other side of the counter. Kotetsu could smell his shampoo, a fruity scent distinct from the overpowering floral aroma of the shop.

"Well, because you're around flowers all day, you've gotta have a good eye for this kind of stuff. Roses _mean_ 'I love you,' but which flowers make you think of love?"

Barnaby tapped a finger on the countertop. "Well, if you don't want to go the roses route, Oriental lilies are popular. They're strong, colorful, fragrant."

"Lilies?" Kotetsu brightened. That wasn't so hard, finding out what kind of flowers Barnaby liked.

"I'd recommend them," Barnaby said. "But that's not actually the answer to your question. It's part of my job to always recommend flowers when a customer asks."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I don't like receiving flowers."

_I knew it! Damn!_ "Well, I can see where you're coming from. If you work as a florist, the last thing you probably want are more flowers, right?"

"No, I just don't like gifts in general."

"But then what do people get you for your birthday if you don't like presents?"

"Not like that. Random romantic gifts, like flowers or souvenirs, usually annoy me."

_Oops._ "So what do you want instead?"

"If someone likes me, I'd want to make memories with them. Memories don't fade or go stale like flowers or chocolate, and they don't take up space like objects. They stay with you forever, no matter where you are. So, I'd rather someone prove they love me with action, rather than weighing me down with stuff that doesn't actually matter."

And Barnaby smiled, his eyes glittering behind his glasses, the curls of his hair gently framing his face, and before Kotetsu really knew what he was doing, he leaned across the counter and kissed the young florist. Barnaby twitched, but didn't pull back, so Kotetsu cupped his cheek with one hand and kept kissing him, gentle, strong, pure.

After a while—a minute? A day?—Kotetsu pulled back, though he stayed close enough to count each long, lovely eyelash as Barnaby's eyes opened again.

"Memorable?" Kotetsu asked.

"…Yeah," Barnaby breathed, and Kotetsu smiled.

"Can I take you to dinner after you close up shop?"

"I'd like that." Barnaby smiled in return. "Still planning on buying flowers?"

"Not really…"

"Maybe the daisies, for your friend? You shouldn't leave a friend feeling angry."

"Good plan."

Barnaby wrapped the flowers in brown paper, Kotetsu paid, but before he left, Barnaby leaned over and pecked him on the cheek.

"See ya," he whispered, and Kotetsu forgot where he was for a split second until Barnaby pushed the bouquet into his arms.

Barnaby watched the old man leave, smiling at the spring in his step. Romantics were such fools, so easy to snow into buying flowers for the slightest reason. But, as he traced his lips with a finger, he wondered, _Maybe being a fool isn't such a bad thing._


End file.
